After seeing misfires over the years, in addition to chambering every round before a hunt I also weigh every round.
For very large cartridges you may see an extreme spread of 3-5 grains(I don't normally separate brass by weight but do by lot #) however this will still clearly show if there is a mistake in powder charges such as no charge or a double charge. Been doing this for years, never a misfire. Knock on wood. (Ow :-)
Could save your skin someday if dangerous game is on the menu.

Just a tip I normally don't see but though I'd pass it along.

A waste of time to weigh them after loaded IMHO but then each his own.

I take a bit more care with self defense and hunting ammo checking cases and power levels in the block.

But weighing after they are load never. Tried it with some pistol rounds when in ran out of powder I my progressive press.

A total waste of time so I just set that box of a couple thousand rounds aside and kept a brass rod handy when I would shoot them and paid very close attention to how the sounded when I shot them.

Rifle pistol rounds used for serious hunting and self-defense rounds checking that they chamber easy is a good idea. Over the years I seen factory rounds that had problems.

As I said all my other quality checks are down during the loading process.

Again it can be about the amount of ammo one is reloading wouldn't even think about weighing the tens of thousands of rounds I loaded and shot during p dog hunts.

I also check powder levels in the blocks however I have seen other reloaders ship one by accident and swear they checked every one and they have a misfire hunting. Pop, rifle is now out of service if the bullet is lodged in the throat.
Checking larger rifle calibers one typically uses for DG by weighing will clearly show if one was accidentally skipped.
JMHO

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
A waste of time to weigh them after loaded IMHO but then each his own.

I take a bit more care with self defense and hunting ammo checking cases and power levels in the block.

But weighing after they are load never. Tried it with some pistol rounds when in ran out of powder I my progressive press.

A total waste of time so I just set that box of a couple thousand rounds aside and kept a brass rod handy when I would shoot them and paid very close attention to how the sounded when I shot them.

Rifle pistol rounds used for serious hunting and self-defense rounds checking that they chamber easy is a good idea. Over the years I seen factory rounds that had problems.

As I said all my other quality checks are down during the loading process.

Again it can be about the amount of ammo one is reloading wouldn't even think about weighing the tens of thousands of rounds I loaded and shot during p dog hunts.

So weighing them is a total waste of time but you would trust a potential sound difference by tapping on them with Brass?

To each his own

My self I would weigh them first if the need arises, far more trustworthy than tapping.

Thanks to the Original Poster who brought this up a handy tip no matter what other people might say.
Sorry that one of the self imposed experts tried to rain on your parade.

Hmmmm been loading for 45 years and never weighed a loaded round. Other than loading up some 9mm with a load I pulled from the manual that was too light to function my pistol can't remember a failure. 99% of rifle rounds I weigh each load seat the bullet and done. Pistol I drop a tray full check the levels and seat bullets. I do now drop some of my 223 loads but then again simply inspect. Under the light and seat and go.

Sound like belt and suspenders to me. But if it makes you feel safer go for it.

quote:

So weighing them is a total waste of time but you would trust a potential sound difference by tapping on them with Brass?

The brass rod was used to tap the bullets out of the barrel when they didn't have enough powder to make it all the way out.

The sound I was listening for was low report of the primer popping or a low powder charge.

How you got to where I was tapping the rounds beats me.

If you are going to weigh each round after loading, why not weigh each charge before dumping it in the case, then seat the bullet? With the aid of a powder trickeler, no margin for error.

Eny +1. I weigh my charge case it and seat the bullet then on to the next one. I started that when I first started loading out of fear and it became habit. I did produce my first no fire projectile just this year, but it was a primer issue. I have never had a charge or lack of charge that was anything but the intended. I may not set the world on fire for rounds produced per hour, but I have still managed to kick out more than 40,000 over the years...I wonder if I could be retired now if I had taken up golf instead?

There can be value in weighing every cartridge you take on a hunt. Chambering each one before a hunt also makes sense as well.
Using a graduated dowel to check powder level prior to inserting the bullet is a great indicator to boot. roger

Whatever happened to loading up a block of cases and then looking at the powder level under a strong light. And then go on to bullet seating.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
There can be value in weighing every cartridge you take on a hunt. Chambering each one before a hunt also makes sense as well.
Using a graduated dowel to check powder level prior to inserting the bullet is a great indicator to boot. roger

My thoughts exactly, you can't be too careful if a lot is at stake.
Also for all that are posting and didn't read it the OP is talking about "factory and reloaded ammo" not just reloading habits.

I also weigh every charge and check charge level with a light however my original post was just a suggestion that I use for peace of mind and allows me 100% confidence in my loads or factory ammo.
I have seen factory ammo with improper charges. For example 2x 20 round boxes of 45/70 ammo had 5 total cartridges without powder from a reputable manufacturer. After the first 2 misfires we checked the remaining ammo and found 3 more without powder.
It can happen and anyone can make a mistake. That's when I began weighing ammo used for hunting things that may bite back.
Once again just a simple suggestion that doesn't take long. I had no intention of starting a

quote:

posted 2017 07:1027 February 2017 07:happened to loading up a block of cases and then looking at the powder level under a strong light. And then go on to bullet seating.

yep... I weight, and then eye-ball every round in the block before I start seating the bullets..

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Whatever happened to loading up a block of cases and then looking at the powder level under a strong light. And then go on to bullet seating.

This is the soundest and quickest method. Shine a flashlight in the necks and it is immediately apparent if you missed one or the powder level is different. Sometimes we make things way harder than they have to be.

The way you are doing your reloads and sharing could be considered overkill, Akhutr, but most of what you are doing goes back a long ways and is what my early mentors taught me how and what to do.

Some think all this measuring and weighing is anal, others de-rigueur...I fall somewhere in the wide middle.

I weigh sort bullets and cases and eliminate the outliers, weight each powder charge, pour it into the case, then insert the bullet and seat...PLUS check the powder lever BEFORE putting in the press, AGAIN...for most of my cartridges, ESPECIALLY the 17 thru 22...early painful experiences taught me a lesson a minute.

I've shot most ALL the types of competitions from benchrest to steel to long range and inaccurate ammo/rifle just doesn't cut it and simply weigh sorting eliminates ~90% of all those pesky fliers.

Weighed powder charges vs thrown charges has been a bone of contention for as long as I can remember and I've done enough testing on many calibers to determine WHICH way I do it, but the arguments are getting REALLY old by now...do it the way you feel is best for you and let it go.


I use 90% plus powder charges also so short charges would be obvious if I DIDN'T weigh individually...I wasted a very nice Rem 870 using a progressive reloader that screwed up on a charge...not quite a double charge but enough overcharge to split the receiver...I WAS LUCKY.


It never ceases to amaze me how some topics cause a total dust-up and other topics get little or no response.

EVERYONE has a different way of reloading and if it works for you, what the Hey...do it...we ALL justify our actions some way or another.

I spend the winter reloading for many calibers...a few dozen rounds for some, hundreds for others...I'm NOT in a hurry...if I didn't have reloading to do when the snow is deep I would go COMPLETELY insane...as it is, I only go a little bit nuts near the end with cabin fever getting the upper hand...

LUCK

It seems a lot of you missed the point. The OP wasn't talking about just reloads, he was talking about factory ammo as well.
I agree that weighing can help find a no powder load but it can't find one off by a few grains. Unless you weigh the cases and bullets before loading.
Leo

I don't generally shoot factory ammo so I haven't weighed any of it. However, a few months ago, I bought a Dillon 550B to load bulk pistol plinking ammo. The first two times I loaded up 500 10mm rounds and 300 44 magnum rounds, I weighed each loaded round on my digital scale to make sure I didn't double charge a case. It gave me peace of mind as I got used to how the machine operates.

I probably won't weigh any more loaded rounds as I have developed a technique where I visually inspect each case before I place the bullet in the case mouth but there is some value in weighing loaded rounds. I generally chamber all my rifle hunting rounds to make sure they are 100% functional before I put them up for storage. I may do the same for the pistol ammo I load specifically for woods carry.